At the Japan Expo Sud held in France, Chikashi Kubota, the Animation Director of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, expressed his desire to work on a 2D-animated remake of Dragon Ball if Toei Animations decides to approve the project. (via nimation)
The latest Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie is the twenty-first installment in the franchise, and notably the first to utilize primarily 3D animation. The plot revolves around Piccolo and his protégé Gohan as they embark on a mission to stop the revived Red Ribbon Army from taking over the world. What really stood out, however, was a brief prologue that showcased previous events from the series in classic 2D animation, and this nostalgic touch fueled fans' desire for a complete remake of the series with similar animation quality.
During his appearance at the Expo, Kubota also talked about his passion for Dragon Ball and creating flip books. He shared that he was inspired to become an animator at the age of 11 after being exposed to works such as Dragon Ball, Macross Plus, Evangelion, and Ah! My Goddess. Kubota considers his contributions to Space Dandy and One-Punch Man to be his best work. In addition, he revealed that he insisted on including a 2D scene in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero as a condition for his participation in the movie project.
Regarding his love for the 2D Dragon Ball animation, he explains that he struggled to replicate the unique art style of the original creator, Akira Toriyama. However, he considers himself the most fanatic animator of the franchise and refused to give up. He worked with the 3D staff to perfect each scene, and even drew the 2D parts himself. Though he admits that he doesn't fully understand the intricacies of the power levels in Dragon Ball, he makes every effort to ensure that each character is as powerful as possible on screen.
Dragon Ball Heroes: Super Hero was released worldwide in August and September 2022. Following Sony Pictures' acquisition of Crunchyroll in 2021 and its subsequent merger with Funimation in 2022, the film was distributed under the Crunchyroll brand. Fans can look forward to the Blu-ray release on March 14, 2023, which will include both English and Japanese dubbed versions with English subtitles.